SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA soccer team (6-6-2, 1-4-1 AAC) fired off a serious offensive barrage in front of a season-high crowd on Thursday night at Park West, but the Roadrunners were only able to convert one opportunity as Tulsa (6-6-2, 2-3-0 AAC) escaped San Antonio with a 2-1 win.
An aggressive attack from the opening kickoff, it looked like the night would favor the Roadrunners early, as senior defender Peyton Godbey made it two consecutive games with a UTSA goal in the opening moments, firing a deflected ball into the back of the net with only 2:04 expired – notching her first goal since joining UTSA ahead of the 2023 season.
However, the Golden Hurricane turned their first shot of the night into a timely one in the 14th minute, as leading scorer Leah Diaz took a tip pass from Ady Bechtel to the right side of the goal for the tie game at 1-1. Four consecutive Tulsa shot attempts later, the Golden Hurricane edged in front as Aniya Facen scored from the left side for the 2-1 advantage in the 25th minute.
The Roadrunners’ 10-5 shooting advantage at the half kept pressure on Tulsa, but the Roadrunners nearly doubled that effort after halftime as UTSA outshot Tulsa 17-1 in the second half but was unable to net the equalizing goal – vying for a score all the way down to a saved Kameron Kloza shot fired in the final five seconds. Between the pipes for Tulsa, Tatum Sanders registered 10 saves.
The Roadrunners finished the night with 27 total shots and nine corners. Leading the attack, senior midfielder Olivia Alvarez logged a career-high seven shots – tying for the fourth-most by a UTSA player in a game. Alvarez had three on-target shots, matching her season best. Kloza and Michelle Polo each took three shots apiece, while five others notched a pair.
For Greek Night and a cancer awareness Pink Out, the Roadrunners packed in a 1,268 attendance count for the most this season and second-highest all-time attendance at Park West; sixth all-time across all home venues.
Goals
TULSA: Leah Diaz (14’), Aniya Facen (25’)
UNT: Peyton Godbey (2’)
Quoting Coach Derek Pittman
"This one really hurts because we absolutely dominated every facet of the game except the one that matters most, on the scoreboard. Credit to Tulsa for scoring the only two chances they had and defending the many opportunities we created. Normally 27 shots, 11 on goal, nine corner kicks and numerous balls served into dangerous areas would produce more than just one goal. I'm happy with our players’ mentality and effort in the second half to up the tempo and press them into mistakes. Unfortunately, we remain inefficient around goal, and it continues to cause us problems. We still have plenty to play for and we will be ready for Charlotte on Sunday."
UP NEXT: Back on the Road for the second half of the week, UTSA travels to Charlotte for a matchup in the Queen City on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 11 a.m. CT. The 49ers are 1-7-5 after logging a scoreless draw on Thursday at UAB.
- UTSA -